The Missing Piece
by afret2010
Summary: Alex finally figures out what was missing from her life. (Sanvers)
1. Chapter 1

Authors note: Until recently I have read, and occasionally written, almost exclusively in the Rizzoli and Isles community. However, the Alex and Maggie pairing has really caught my attention and I have started reading a lot of Sanvers stories. This little drabble popped into my head the other day and won't leave me alone. So this will be my first story for the Supergirl fanfiction community. I hope you like it.

* * *

Maggie took a break from her hostess duties to look around the room and get a feel for how the New Year's Eve party was going. She was happy with what she saw. She and Alex had been nervous about hosting their first big party since moving in together two months ago, almost exactly one year after their first kiss. Well their first real kiss. Maggie didn't count the first time Alex kissed her and she, like an idiot had turned her down because she was "fresh off the boat".

The party was going well. Aside from some good-natured rivalry, her NCPD friends were mixing well with Alex's DEO family. From her vantage point in the kitchen door, looking out over their living room, she could see Kara chatting with her NCPD Science Division Sergeant, no doubt trying to develop a source within NCPD for future articles. Hank, James, & Winn were huddled up with a few of her fellow Science Division detectives having an animated conversation about something. She wondered what her NCPD colleagues would think if they knew they were talking to a green Martian, the Guardian, and his sidekick. She herself had learned about those three and about Kara's secret identity a few months after she started dating Alex but there were still times when she could hardly believe it.

Perhaps most surprising was the laughter coming from the sofa where Eliza Danvers was chatting with Maggie's mom. The two had just met for the first time the day before and seemed as different as night and day. Her mom had stayed at home to raise a family and Eliza was an accomplished astro-biologist. Her mother still tried to set her up on dates with men while Eliza had offered Alex unconditional acceptance and encouragement when she had come out. But anyone looking at the two of them at this moment would have thought they were life-long friends. Maggie sincerely hoped some of Eliza's attitude would rub off on her mother.

Searching the room Maggie realized there was one face she didn't see, Alex's. Doing a quick check of the bedroom, office, and bathroom Maggie still couldn't find Alex and was becoming a bit concerned when Kara slipped up beside her and pointed out onto the balcony. "She's out there." Kara told her, having noticed Maggie searching the apartment and guessing who she was looking for.

"Of course" Maggie said, smiling at Kara, "should a looked there first". Alex liked a good party as much as the next person but she was essentially an introvert and occasionally needed to slip away and take a breather from the press of people, even friends and loved ones.

Maggie stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door behind her. Alex, deep in thought, didn't even hear her approach. Maggie recognized the look on her face, Alex was thinking something through, dissecting it in her mind so, like any good scientist she could analyze, categorize it, and put it in it's proper box in her mind. "Such a serious face for such a fun occasion" she teased slipping an arm around Alex's waist.

Alex jumped slightly then melted into Maggie's side and smiled that smile that turned Maggie's insides to goo. "Hey, you startled me, I was thinking."

"I noticed" Maggie said smiling and placing a sweet kiss to Alex's temple. "What about?"

"You" Alex replied, "and me, specifically me before I met you…and after".

"Okay, I think I'm going to need a little more than that" Maggie responded grinning. She really did love the way Alex's mind worked. She couldn't wait to here Alex explain her previous statement.

Alex blushed and ducked her head before looking up again to meet Maggie's eyes. She got lost for a moment in the look of adoration there but shook it off. She really wanted to explain her thoughts to Maggie but she needed to get it right. It was important to her that Maggie understand what she was about to tell her.

"Before I met you I had a good life. I loved my job and I loved my family and friends but something was always missing and I felt like it was somehow my fault because if I had this great job and these great people around me how could I be unhappy." The unshed tears in Alex's eyes broke Maggie's heart but she kept quiet knowing Alex's needed to get through this.

"So I decided that I had to work harder; be a better scientist; a stronger agent; be a more caring sister, daughter, and friend. And I failed miserably because I still felt like something was missing even though I couldn't imagine trying any harder." Alex's voice had gotten higher as she spoke and the previously unshed tears had started to fall.

Maggie took Alex's face into her hands and brushed the tears away with her thumbs. "I'm right here", she said holding Alex's glistening eyes with her own.

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly and continued never looking away from the gaze that gave her such comfort and courage. "Then I met you and I never realized what was happening. Even before you called me out for liking girls, before I realized what my true feelings for you were all about, I wanted to spend all my free time with you.

Do you remember, right after we broke up the alien fight club you were forced to release Routlette and I offered to take you out for drinks to commiserate?" Maggie nodded.

"You couldn't because you had a date with your girlfriend. I've never wanted to punch someone in the face just for existing as much as I did your girlfriend."

"Kind of wish you had," Maggie replied only half joking, "might have saved us both a lot of heartache".

Alex raised her eyebrows and gave Maggie a little head tilt that showed her agreement. "In that moment", Alex continued, "watching you walk away with her, that missing piece of me seemed so big, I was afraid it would swallow me whole and still I didn't figure out what was happening." Alex shook her head at her own folly.

"And finally after CADMUS' cyborg shot you, you came to my apartment and kissed me and told me you liked me and, I don't know, maybe I was so busy adjusting to my new normal, and figuring out what it meant to have a girlfriend, and how to really share my life with someone for the first time, but even then I didn't figure it out.

It wasn't until this moment Maggie, standing out here looking out at the lights of the city and reflecting on the best year of my life that I finally realized. That missing piece of me isn't missing anymore. It's right here, standing beside me. It has been since the moment we met and I was too blind or to preoccupied to see it." Alex took Maggie's face in her hands and paused for a moment to gaze into the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. It's you Maggie, you're the missing piece of me, the missing piece of my heart.

Maggie started to cry and made three attempts to respond before she was able to whisper a horse "Thank you Alex".

Alex pulled Maggie into her arms and whispered into her ear. "You never have to thank me for loving you!"

Maggie pulled away enough to look into Alex's eyes. "No not for that. Thank you for putting into words the way I feel about you. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you how much you mean to me Alex, how much better my life is because you're in it.

I know exactly what you mean about feeling like something is missing in your life and thinking that it must be your fault. I may have figured out my sexual orientation when I was a teenager but that doesn't mean I'd figured out relationships. Every time another girlfriend left me I just knew it was my fault. I spent too much time at work. I didn't give enough of myself to them or work hard enough on making it work. And all the while, even when I was in those relationships I could feel something was missing." Maggie was looking away from Alex, even now having a hard time sharing so much of herself.

She fought the impulse to hide from Alex, giving a little shake to throw off old tendencies. "I haven't felt that way since I met you, Alex. You complete me, you are the missing part of me and I want to be with you always." Maggie paused for a breath and took Alex's hands in her own and looked up into her eyes. "I hadn't planned to do this here and now, I don't even have a ring yet."

Alex gulped "Oh my God" and Maggie could feel her begin to tremble, or perhaps Maggie was the one trembling, she wasn't sure.

"I love you Alex Danvers, more than I ever thought it was possible for one person to love another. Will you marry me?"

Alex's smile was brighter than Maggie had ever seen, "Yes, my love, yes I will marry you".

Both women could have sworn they heard Kara shout "Yes!" from the other room just before they sealed the deal with kiss but Kara maintained that she was just celebrating the birth of the New Year and since it was sure to be a year worth celebrating they both decided to accept that explanantion.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So I'm trying something I've never done here. Normally I write fanfiction because I get an idea in my head that won't leave me alone until I write it down. So the story is pretty much already there completely formed in my head and I just have to type it out, tweak it a bit and publish it. This time I felt like I wanted to add a chapter to this story but I had no idea what the next chapter might be. So I made that my prompt and after a false start or two this is what I came to me. I'd be interested to know what you think of it!

* * *

Alex woke up to the sound of Maggie's alarm going off. Next to her, her wife (her "wife" after a year and half that still made her smile) buried her face in Alex's neck and groaned, "Nooo, just five more minutes, please".

Alex chuckled and said "Hey, you're the one who has to testify in court today".

Maggie harrumphed and whined "Yeah but you're the reason I'm so tired this morning."

"You're adorable when you're acting like a kid refusing to get ready for school. Shall I write you a note for the District Attorney? 'Dear Mr. McCoy, please excuse Maggie from court today. She's exhausted from making mad, passionate, love with me all night!'"

Maggie guffawed, "Knowing Jack McCoy, he'd enjoy pictureing that so much it just might work."

Alex rolled out of bed taking the covers with her, which resulted in more whining from her wife. "Go take a shower while I make us some breakfast. We can't have you testifying on an empty stomach."

"Fine" Maggie huffed as she swung her feet off the bed and headed into the ensuite bathroom.

Twenty minutes later she was strolled into the kitchen to see Alex zoned out in front of the stove with a batch of scrambled eggs on the verge of burning. "Earth to Alex, I know you hate runny eggs but you generally stop short of charred black."

"Damn it!" Alex exclaimed, quickly pulling the frying pan off the burner and portioning out the eggs onto the two plates set out on the counter top that already had bacon and toast.

She brought the plates to the table while Maggie poured them each a cup of coffee, black for herself and just a touch of half and half for Alex. "Where were you just then?" she asked, taking her seat next to Alex.

Alex took a moment to collect her thoughts, which clued Maggie in that she had been thinking about something important and that she wanted to present it to Maggie in just the right way because she was afraid Maggie might be hurt or worried by what she had to say and she wanted to be sure there would be no misunderstandings between them. This caused a bit of a flutter in Maggie's stomach but she waited for Alex to be ready to say whatever she had to say.

"I love our life Maggie, you know that right? I'm happier than I ever have been, happier than I ever hoped to be and it's all because of you."

"I sense a 'but' coming" Maggie said with trepidation.

"I kind of hate that word right now because I know it's scaring you and that's the last thing I want to do. "

"But" Maggie persisted. She could feel the conflict raging in Alex between always telling Maggie what she was thinking and feeling and never wanting to hurt her. "I trust you Alex, you can tell me anything. If there's a problem we can work it out, together".

"No, no it's not a problem Maggie, certainly not a problem between us. It's just, lately I've been having this feeling like there's something more I'm, or something we're, supposed to be doing but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is."

She looked up at Maggie with pleading eyes, "Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you feel it too?"

Maggie thought maybe she did know what Alex was talking about. She hoped she did but she wasn't sure and she didn't want to bring it up if she was wrong. She knew too many couples that had broken up because they fell on different sides of this particular issue.

Maggie was saved from having to answer by the ringing of her phone. It was the district attorney's office. Her testimony had been moved up and she had to leave right away.

She took Alex in her arms and kissed her gently on the lips. Alex's expression was still troubled. "Don't worry babe, we'll figure this out. Go to work, get your mind off of it. You know sometimes it helps you to figure things out if you just step away from them for a while. I love you."

Maggie, grabbed her helmet and keys and headed out the door. "I love you too" Alex shouted at her retreating form.

Little did either one of them know, it would be a while before they had time to talk about this particular issue again and by then the answer would have presented itself in a most unexpected way!

* * *

Alex arrived at the DEO early for work as she often did, although perhaps not as often as she did before she met and married Maggie. Entering the operations center she noticed J'onn, Winn, & Kara huddled around Winn's workstation.

Seeing her, J'onn said "Alex, good, we were about to call you in. We're tracking some sort of vessel heading for earth. If it stays on it's current trajectory it looks like it will land somewhere to the west of National City. Go suit up, I want you and Supergirl to check it out when it lands."

Ten minutes later Alex and Supergirl were on their way to the space ship's projected landing point in what was fortunately an unpopulated area. They watched as the ship streaked across the sky and dug a furrow a quarter of a mile long in the ground in front of them.

They approached the ship cautiously and Alex was surprised to hear Kara exclaim, "That's not possible!"

"What's not possible?" she asked.

"Those markings," Kara pointed to the side of the pod, "they're Daxomite."

"Maybe we should call in Mon-El to help us" Alex replied but Kara was already opening the hatch. What they found inside left them both temporarily speechless.

Staring back at them from the opened hatch was a child, a beautiful brunette girl who looked to be about four or five by earth standards.

Releasing the safety harness holding the girl in place Kara greeted her in a soft voice, "Hey sweetheart, my name is Kara, what's your name." The little girl ignored her completely, bolting out of the ship and launching herself at Alex and hugging her legs tightly, a little too tightly for Alex's comfort. The girl, not surprisingly, had no concept of the effect of earth's yellow sun on her strength.

Instinctively, Alex returned the embrace, speaking softly to the girl, trying to reassure her, even though she was fairly certain the child couldn't understand her.

* * *

After returning Alex and the little girl to DEO headquarters, Kara retrieved the girl's pod. The techs were swarming over it trying to find answers to the many questions it's appearance raised. At the same time, J'onn had called in Mon-El to help them question the little girl.

"I'm afraid she's not going to be a lot of help" Mon-El told J'onn, Kara, & Alex. "All she knows is that her parent placed her in the pod and told her when she woke up she would be in her new home and someone would be there to take care of her. She doesn't know what the date was when her parents put her in the pod or where they were sending her. Oh, her name is Zee-Na."

The girl was sitting on Alex's lap. She had cried inconsolably whenever anyone tried to take her away from Alex.

"What are we going to do with her?" Kara wanted to know. "It's not like we can call child services and put her into the foster care system."

"For now she'll have to stay here at the DEO." J'onn replied.

"I'll stay with her", Alex volunteered. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving the child to spend the night alone in the cold and impersonal environment of the DEO.

"I'm not sure you have a choice" Kara joked looking at the alien child clinging to her sister. She'd never say it to Alex but there was something about the sight of her sister with a child in her arms that just looked right.

"Look, it's been a long day" J'onn said, "let's all get some rest. Hopefully, the techs will be able to get some more information from the child's ship."

Alex texted Maggie that she would be staying at the DOE that night. Maggie knew better than to ask for details. Alex would tell her when and if she could.

Alex took Zee-Na to the cantina and got them both something to eat. It took a few tries but she finally found something the girl would eat and not spit it out while making a face. Alex had to laugh that the only food Zee-Na would eat was pizza and pot stickers.

After dinner she found an empty room in the DEO barracks with two beds and went about getting them both ready for bed. She kept up a running dialogue even though she knew Zee-Na couldn't understand her. The girls seemed to like the sound of her voice and often smiled when Alex made a joke or said something nice to her. Alex assumed she was responding to the tone of her voice.

"Alright, sweetie, hop in" Alex said. Holding open the covers of one of the two beds. Zee-Na slid between the covers as if she understood what Alex had said and Alex tucked her in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Everything's going to be okay Zee-Na, I promise" Alex said in a soft voice.

Then she slipped in to her own bed and turned off the light.

* * *

In the morning, Alex awoke and was momentarily confused at not finding Maggie in bed with her. When she opened her eyes she realized she was at the DEO and slowly the previous day's events came back to her. She glanced over to the other bed in the room to find Zee-Na watching her with curiosity.

Alex was surprised that the girl hadn't tried to wake her up. "Good morning sweetheart", she said in a soft voice, getting up and waking over to the other bed. "You ready to get up?"

"Up" Zee-Na replied, holding her arms out to Alex. Alex was stunned into immobility until the child repeated "Up" a little more insistently.

Alex scooped her up and kissed her on the cheek, "What a smart girl you are!" she said, giving the girl a little squeeze. "Are you hungry?"

"Eat!" Zee-Na responded enthusiastically and for the second time in the space of a minute Alex was stunned.

She recovered quickly, "Well alright then, let's get dressed and go get some breakfast."

Zee-Na squirmed out of Alex's arms and ran over to the bureau where Alex had put her clothes the night before. Pulling them out, she quickly dressed herself while Alex did the same.

When they arrived at the DEO cantina, Zee-Na looked up at Alex and asked "pizza?"

Starting to get used to the child's remarkable linguistic advances Alex just shook her head and said, "Let's try some scrambled eggs and bacon." To her great relief, Zee-Na deemed her breakfast edible though perhaps not quite as good pizza and pot stickers.

After breakfast, Alex swung the Zee-Na onto her back for a piggyback ride, much to the girls delight, to the operations center. J'onn and Kara were gathered around Winn's workstation. Approaching the group, she said, "You're not going to believe this." Just as Kara turned to her and said the same thing.

"You first" she said to Kara.

"Based on what the techs were able to find out from Zee-Na's ship." Kara began. "Zee-Na actually left Daxam before Mon-El did. The ship was actually supposed to take her to Alpha Centauri, where her parents had arranged for a Centaurian family take her in. Apparently, her ship was knocked off course by the same phenomenon that affected my pod. It just took her ship longer to break free and when it did it was off course and the ship's computer chose earth as the nearest planet with a climate compatible with that of Daxam and routed the ship here."

"Wow, that's quite a coincidence"

"Tell me about it. What did you want to tell us?"

"Zee-Na is already starting to speak and understand English."

"What?!" J'onn, Kara, & Winn exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah, I've been talking to her. Just because I thought the sound of my voice might calm her but apparently she's been picking up some of the language. This morning she held out her arms to me and said 'up' and when I asked if she was hungry she said 'eat' and when we got to the cantina she asked for pizza for breakfast!"

"Wow" said Kara, "maybe she's a genius"

"Well," Alex responded, "As I recall you picked up English pretty quickly and they say kids are better at that kind of learning than adults."

"But getting back to what the techs found out. Where does that leave us?" Kara asked. "Should we try to get Zee-Na to Alpha Centauri?"

"No!" Alex interjected forcefully surprising everyone, including herself. For some reason the thought of sending the little girl away disturbed her. "I mean, who knows what's happened to the family that was going to take care of her in the time she's been traveling?"

"You have a point" J'onn conceded, "but what do we do with her?"

"Well it's not the first time a child from another planet arrived on earth." Kara said pointedly.

"True, but you were old enough to understand the need for secrecy and Kal-El was too young to let it slip. The Kents had plenty of time to teach him the importance of keeping his secret." J'onn countered. Then he sighed and continued, "It will take time to find a foster family that can be trusted to raise an alien child. She'll just have to stay here at the DEO until then. We can at least get a start on teaching her what she'll need to know to blend in here on earth."

"Who's going to take care of her?" Winn chimed in. "We can't just put her in a room like Mon-El. She's a child, even if she is a very bright child."

"I can…" Kara started but Alex cut her off.

"I'll do it" she blurted out. "I can get Maggie to come in and help." Three sets of eyes stared at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted a second head. "It will be good for Zee-Na to get used to living with a human couple" Alex reasoned, "and Maggie knows as much about aliens as anyone outside the DEO."

"Alex makes a good point," Kara agreed with her sister. She didn't know why this was so important to Alex but she could see that it was.

Alex looked to J'onn for approval of her plan. After a long pause he nodded he said, "Okay, Alex until further notice your primary duty is teaching Zee-Na about earth and how to blend in here. You are authorized to bring Maggie in to help."

"Great!" Alex exclaimed enthusiastically, "now I just have to explain it to Maggie."

* * *

Author's Note: This was getting a bit long so I decided to stop here and post what I've got so far. I've started on the next chapter and have pretty good idea where I want to go with it so hopefully it will be posted soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'd planned for this to be the final chapter but I had to decide between posting what I've got so far or waiting until I finished the story. I did what I as a reader would want. I posted what I've got so far. I haven't got anything written on the next (final?) chapter yet but I have a good idea where the story is going so hopefully it won't be too long.**

 **As always, constructive criticism is gratefully accepted. Enjoy!**

* * *

Maggie was sitting at her desk slogging through a mountain of paperwork when her phone rang and the screen lit up with a picture of Alex taken at their wedding. Maggie smiled both at the memory of that day and at the welcome distraction.

"Hey babe, we still on for lunch?"

"Yeah, about that, would you mind having lunch here at the DEO?"

"The food at the cantina stinks," Maggie whined.

"You could bring take out. There's something I need to talk to you about and it's best if we do it here."

"Okay" Maggie dragged out the second syllable. "Care to give me a hint?"

"Not over the phone."

"Alrighty then, I'll see you at noon," Maggie new better than to push. "Is Chinese okay?"

"Chinese is great. Oh and bring enough for three," Alex added as an after thought.

"Is Kara joining us?"

"No."

"Who then?"

"That's what we need to talk about."

"Okay now I'm intrigued."

"Good, I like that you find me intriguing," Alex flirted.

"Intriguing, smart, funny, beautiful, baby you're all that and a bag of chips" Maggie tossed back. The last thing she heard as she hung up the phone was Alex's inelegant snort.

* * *

When Maggie arrived at the DEO 2 hours later with take out from Alex's favorite Chinese place she was greeted by a sight that stopped her in her tracks. Alex was sitting at one of the workstations with a pretty little girl on her lap. The two seemed engrossed in whatever it was they were watching on the computer screen. The little girl began to giggle and Alex joined in. At that moment Alex happened to notice Maggie standing a few feet away watching them and turned to smile at her.

Maggie's breath caught in her throat at the look in Alex's eyes. She knew that look well, it was most often directed at her. It was how Alex looked when she was supremely happy and absolutely content. "Hey Babe, who's your friend?"

"Hi Sweetheart, this is Zee-Na, she arrived yesterday….from Daxam."

Maggie's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, "Say what now?"

"Let's have lunch and I'll explain everything to you" Alex turned to the little girl who had been watching the exchange with curiosity. "Zee-Na this is my wife Maggie. Can you say 'Hi"?"

"Hi, Maggie" the little girl smiled shyly at a stunned Maggie.

"Maggie brought lunch. Are you hungry?"

"Pizza?" the little girl asked excitedly.

"No" Alex laughed, "Chinese food."

Alex was getting used to Zee-Na's unusual facility with the language but Maggie was not. "Did you say she just arrived yesterday? Did she know English before she got here?"

"Let's eat, then I'll tell you everything we know and why I asked you to come here for lunch."

During lunch they discovered that Zee-Na liked spring rolls and fried rice almost as much as she did pizza.

Zee-Na was enchanted by Maggie, insisting she sit beside her during lunch and playing with her long brown hair. Maggie had to admit the feeling was mutual so when Alex told her what she had in mind it didn't take too much convincing.

When Alex had told her the previous day that she felt like there was something more she should be doing, Maggie had suspected that "something" involved motherhood. Seeing Alex interacting with Zee-Na confirmed her suspicions. But much like when Alex had discovered her sexuality, what seemed obvious to Maggie apparently hadn't occurred yet to Alex.

Maggie knew Alex needed to come to that conclusion on her own but that didn't mean she couldn't help her along like she had before. So she happily dove head first into the process of preparing the little girl for life on planet Earth.

When lunch was over she suggested a short outing beyond the impressive but somewhat cold and impersonal walls of the DEO. "We're both going to need to grab a few things from home Alex, and Zee is going to need some new clothes if she's going to fit in here. Why don't we take her with us to the apartment then take her out to buy her some clothes?"

"Zee" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well if we go around calling her Zee-Na people will think she was named after Xena, Warrior Princess. Not that I'm not a fan but that's just wrong!"

Alex chortled in spite of herself but her expression soon shifted to worry. "Don't you think it's a little soon to be taking her outside the DEO? She can't even speak English yet."

"So we tell folks she's visiting from Europe, or Russia or something. That will explain her unusual clothes too." Maggie reasoned.

"I'll have to clear it with J'onn," Alex responded still unsure but warming up to the idea.

To Alex's surprise J'onn thought it was an excellent idea. "Really?" she asked surprised.

"Alex, it's not like we're sending her out there alone. We're sending her with two highly trained law enforcement officials who just happen to be experts on aliens. Besides, she's going to have to learn about life outside the DEO sooner or later."

* * *

With J'onn's approval the three set out for Zee-Na's first adventure in the "real world" as Maggie called it. They decided to sign a vehicle out from the DEO carpool deeming a ride on the back of either of their motorcycles as a bit too much excitement for her first foray outside and headed to their apartment.

Alex knew quite a bit about Daxam thanks to both Kara & Mon-El so the fact that the girl didn't understand why their vehicle stayed on the ground didn't surprise her. The fact that she expressed her consternation by saying "Why we not flying?" did take her aback though.

"Dang!" Maggie exclaimed, "I don't think you're going to have to worry about her speaking English much longer! Have you guys tested her intelligence yet?"

"No but I think we need to get that done right away. I've never seen anyone pick up a language this quickly. I wonder if it's just her or if all Daxamites have this kind of facility with language"

"Great, just what you need, a little nerd mini-me. She even looks kind of like you, with the brown hair and the soulful brown eyes." Maggie teased Alex, who blushed but looked pleased nonetheless.

When they arrived at their apartment Alex, deciding it was best to keep talking to Zee-Na as if she understood, took her aside and said "Maggie and I have to grab some things so we can stay with you at the DEO. Here's some magazines you can look at," she pointed to the coffee table covered with everything from People, to Time, to Guns & Ammo, "or you can look around the apartment. Just don't touch anything with out asking Maggie or me first. Okay?"

Zee-Na nodded and quickly headed off to explore the apartment. Alex watched her anxiously for a few moments before Maggie took her arm and led her back to their bedroom. "She'll be fine Alex. She's a Daxamite, it's not likely she's going to find anything in here that can actually hurt her." she soothed, correctly guessing that Alex was worrying about the girl and not their possessions. "Based on what you've told me about Kara & Mon-El's first days on earth the I'm inclined to be more worried about our stuff."

Sure enough, five minutes later they heard a crash coming from the kitchen and rushed out to see Zee-Na with tears in her eyes crouched on top of the refrigerator looking down at a vase she had apparently knocked to the floor.

"Sorry, Alex. I not mean touch that, that," she searched for the right word then finally pointed at the shattered vase.

"Vase" Alex supplied, apparently unperturbed by the broken vase now that she knew Zee-Na was okay.

"Vase" Zee-Na repeated, clearly committing the term to memory. "I jump up, look at vase and hit it. It was, it was." Frustrated the little girl looked at Alex again to supply her with the missing word.

"An accident" Alex said patiently. Glancing over at Maggie who was giving her an "I told you so smirk".

"An accident" Zee-Na repeated.

"That's okay sweetie" Alex used the term of affection without even realizing it and this time she missed Maggie's smirk. "But we're going to have to have a talk about what furniture is for sitting or jumping on and what is not! This," she patted the refrigerator, "is a refrigerator. It is not for jumping on. It is for storing food."

"Pizza!?" the girl asked excitedly, jumping down from the refrigerator to land lightly between the two adults.

"Usually," Maggie responded with a wry smile, "but not right at the moment".

"Oh," Zee-Na sighed, clearly disappointed.

"Hey, Zee why don't you go look at those magazines Alex showed you before while she and I finish packing. Then we're going to get you a few new things to wear and after that I'll take you both out for a treat. Okay?"

"Okay Maggie" Zee-Na said walking over to the couch then jumping over it, landing in a seated position, and reaching out for one of the magazines".

Maggie quirked an eyebrow at Alex and placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her back to the bedroom.

"Fine," Alex huffed. "You were right, I don't need to worry about her so much."

* * *

The two women finished their packing in short order and were soon headed out to the nearest department store to buy a few outfits for Zee-Na. The outing went quite well once they were able to convey the reason for their visit to the young Daxamite, who was used to having her mother program her clothes in a device not too different from the replicators Alex and Maggie remembered seeing on the different Star Trek series when they were kids.

Maggie never considered herself a big shopper but she had to admit she was enjoying buying clothes for the little girl, who's sense of fashion was, surprisingly, eclectic and not that different from Maggie's nieces. In addition to a couple of frilly dresses, she picked out blue jeans and t-shirts in a variety of colors. Alex made sure she had a nice pair of dress shoes and some comfortable sneakers as well as underwear, socks, a warm jacket, all the necessities.

Once they put all their packages in the trunk of their standard issue DEO sedan. Maggie turned to Alex and Zee-Na and asked, "You two ready for that treat I promised?"

"Yes!" they shouted in unison. Maggie had to laugh, she wasn't sure which one of them was more excited, Zee-Na to try something new or Alex to watch her do it.

Maggie put her hand out to Zee-Na, who took it without hesitation. Zee-Na then reached out her other hand for Alex's. As she led them to a nearby ice cream parlor it occurred to Maggie that anyone watching them might easily mistake them for a family out for a fun afternoon together. She liked that thought. Glancing over at Alex who was talking to Zee-Na about the things they passed, she wondered if she felt the same way.

To say the ice cream parlor was a hit with Zee-Na would be an understatement. They got some looks from other patrons when they ordered the little girl a banana split with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream smothered in hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and the obligatory cherry on top but they knew with her alien metabolism she wouldn't have any trouble polishing of the massive treat.

"Thank God we already know from testing Mon-El that there is very little in the normal human diet that is a problem for her" Alex said.

"Yeah," Maggie replied absent-mindedly, too amused by the expression of pure bliss on Zee-Na's hot fudge covered face. "You like it Zee?" she asked unnecessarily.

"Oh yes," the little girl practically moaned around a mouthful of banana and chocolate ice cream. "It's better than pizza!"

"Did she just use a contraction?" Maggie asked Alex. Seeing yet another stunned expression on her wife's face gave her the answer.

By the time the three of them had finished their ice cream and Alex had managed to get most of the whipped cream and fudge sauce off of Zee-Na's face. The little girl's seemingly boundless energy had reached a temporary low. Alex carried her back to the car and strapped her into the back seat. She was asleep before they'd driven a mile. Maggie noticed that Alex kept glancing in the review mirror to check on the child and smiling to herself.

After their afternoon together, Maggie was more sure than ever that having a family was the "something more" Alex felt they were supposed to be doing. She was quickly coming to believe that the little refugee girl from Daxam was supposed to be an integral part of that family. Now all she had to do was get Alex to see it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Well, once again, I thought this would be the last chapter of this story and once again this story refuses to cooperate. So I decided to post what I've got rather than make you wait until I managed to finish the story. As I've said before, I know where I'm going with this story so hopefully it wont be too long until the next update. Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.**

 **Note: Italics indicate a flashback.**

 **P.S. Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews!**

* * *

The days went quickly and before they knew it Zee-Na had been with them for over a month. With her facility with languages, which they discovered from Mon-El was unusual but not unheard of for a Daxamite, she was soon speaking in complete sentences. Occasionally she misspoke a newly learned word but she never had to be corrected twice. She seemed to learn from any conversation in the room, not just the ones she took part in.

For the first week J'onn had made sure that Alex had no other duties and Maggie had put in for time off based on a "family emergency". After that, scheduling was a bit more challenging. Maggie had suggested they enlist the help of their friends under the pretense that it would be good for Zee-Na to interact with different people. What she was really doing was preparing them all for the time when Zee-Na would be going home with her and Alex. Not that she'd mentioned that to Alex yet but she had found the time to talk to J'onn early on in their stay at DEO headquarters.

 _Maggie had managed to slip away from her two favorite girls while Alex was reading Zee-Na a bedtime story, to go talk to J'onn about Zee-Na's future. She found him in his office. The door was open so she knocked on the frame, "Do you have a minute?"_

" _Certainly, come in Detective. What can I do for you?"_

 _J'onn could tell Maggie was nervous by the way she kept shoving her hands in her pockets and pulling them back out and how she was bouncing on her toes. "I wanted to talk to you about Zee-Na's future. I know you're looking for a family to take her in. I think you should stop."_

" _Actually I never started." J'onn said looking at Maggie who had started pacing in front of his desk._

" _Nobody's better qualified to look after an alien child than Alex and I and she's already bonded with us. Wait what?" she asked as J'onn's statement finally penetrated her brain and broke her out of her well rehearsed speech about why she and Alex should be Zee-Na's foster parents._

" _I never started looking for a family for Zee-Na. I had every intention of doing just that until I saw the three of you together. It may have been centuries since I was part of a family but I know what it looks like when I see one." J'onn said solemnly._

" _You.., I.., how…" Maggie spluttered. Finally, she collapsed in one of the chairs across from J'onn's desk. "Well it looks like Alex is the only one left to convince."_

" _Good luck with that." J'onn chuckled, indulging in a rare moment of humor. "You know better than most that Alex has a hard time choosing the path of happiness. You'll have to convince her that it's what's best for everyone else, especially Zee-Na?"_

" _Yes, yes I will" Maggie said, apparently lost in thought. J'onn was sure she already had an idea how she was going to about it._

* * *

Soon Zee-Na was learning about computers from her Uncle Winn and photography from her Uncle James. Nobody knew for sure what she did with J'onn, her honorary grandfather, but they both seemed to look forward to their time together and J'onn's demeanor always softened around Zee-Na.

The first time Zee-Na ran up to J'onn in the ops center shouting, "J'onn, J'onn look what I drew. It's a Mary-around. I got to ride one in the park today!" Alex cringed, expecting J'onn to brush Zee-Na off while directing a disapproving look at her.

You could have knocked her over with a feather when J'onn scooped the girl up and said, "I think you mean 'merry-go-round'.

"Merry-go-round," Zee-Na repeated to herself.

"Let's take a look at that picture. Why yes, that's an excellent picture of a merry-go-round. You are quite a good artist." J'onn beamed at the little girl in is arms and Alex could see what a good father he must have been.

Kara was helping Zee-Na learn about her powers and how to control them, especially her strength. Zee-Na had exceptional control for such a young child, except when she got excited or scared. Once when Zee-Na was in lab with her, Alex thought it would be fun to show the little girl what happened when you mixed Coke and Mentos, two foods Zee-Na adored. The resulting explosion frightened the young Daxamite and she ended up running through three walls before Kara was able to catch her and calm her down.

"I know you were frightened but you really have to be careful about running through walls when you're scared okay Zee? Someone could get hurt."

"Okay Kara, I'm sorry." Zee-Na said contritely.

"Thank God you were here" Alex said when Kara brought the frightened girl back and put her into Alex's outstretched arms. "Maybe an exploding experiment wasn't the best choice considering what happened to Daxam," she continued chagrined.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked rubbing soothing circles on Zee-Na's back.

"I'm okay Alex, I was just surprised. Can we do it again so I can watch it this time? I promise I won't run away this time!"

"Maybe next time, Zee-Na." Alex said with a laugh. "Maggie should be here any minute now to pick us up for dinner. Where would you like to go?"

"Anthony's for pizza then to Morton's Moo for ice cream," the little girl responded without hesitation.

"Why do I even bother to ask?" Alex asked throwing a bemused look at Kara. "Would you like to join us Kara?"

"Yes Aunty Kara, come with us! We can have a pizza eating contest like we did before!" Kara laughed and Alex groaned.

"I'd love to sweetie but I've got a deadline for an article I'm working on and if I'm even a minute late I'll never hear the end of it from Snapper."

As Kara was leaving the lab she passed Maggie on her way in. "You coming to dinner with us?" Maggie asked.

"Can't, deadline," Kara tossed over her shoulder already halfway down the hall.

* * *

Dinner went well, Zee-Na was a quick study in more than just languages and had quickly learned that certain things that were okay when she was inside the DEO building were not okay when she was out with others.

 _Early on there had a been a few slip-ups but fortunately, most folks saw what they expected to see so their minds supplied a rational explanation for anything they saw that didn't make sense. Like a little girl who apparently jumped six feet in the air and plucked a pretty butterfly out of the air on a beautiful spring day in the park. Or the same little girl accidentally knocking over a parking meter when she tried to shake it to see if she could here the change someone just put into it._

" _Imagine the city leaving a loose parking meter like that," Alex had said to nobody in particular, desperate to come up with a plausible explanation. "Somebody could get hurt!" she exclaimed as she hustled away with Zee-Na in tow._

On the ride back to the DEO, Maggie took the opportunity of a mishap free outing to move forward with her plan to get Alex to see that they should be Zee-Na's foster parents.

"She did really well tonight didn't she?" she asked Alex who was smiling back at the little girl sleeping in the back seat.

"She did, didn't she. She hasn't slipped up in almost two weeks. I think she's getting the hang of pretending to be human." Alex said, casting another fond glance at Zee-Na.

"Maybe we should take her training to the next level," Maggie suggested innocently.

"The next level?" Alex asked flashing the cutest perplexed look at Maggie.

"Yeah, she's going to have to leave the DEO sooner or later. Don't you think it would be a good idea to see how she handles that? And, I mean, who better than us to help her through it." Maggie was talking fast now, throwing every reason she could come up with at Alex. "She knows and trust's us and we know her better than anyone else. Plus the two of us together know more about aliens than just about anyone. We've got a guest bedroom so she could have her own room. We've already got a great support system with Kara, and Winn, James, J'onn." She trailed off, waiting anxiously to see how Alex would respond.

Alex was silent for a long moment and it was one of those rare occasions when Maggie had no idea what she was thinking. But she knew better than to interrupt. Alex was processing not just Maggie's proposal but how it would affect everyone else involved. Maggie knew Alex would put everyone else's needs before her own. That she would, in fact, discount her own desires in the matter to the point that she might decide against the idea simply because she was suspicious of anything that would so obviously result in her own happiness.

Maggie was about to reiterate how such a move would benefit Zee-Na when Alex broke her silence. "It's a good idea but do you think J'onn will agree to it?" she asked clearly trying not to get her hopes up.

Smiling triumphantly to herself, Maggie refrained from telling Alex exactly how sure she was that J'onn would agree to the plan and simply said, "I'm sure we can talk him into it if we present it to him the right way."

* * *

Maggie managed to get J'onn alone long enough to warn him not to be to enthusiastic about the plan when she and Alex presented it to him. He understood it was all part of her long term plan to get Alex to agree to foster Zee-Na and played along.

"You both make good points" he said reservedly when they met with him in his office the next day, "are you sure she's ready to take this step? Are you two equipped to care for a child, especially an alien child?"

"She's such a fast learner, J'onn" Alex responded without hesitation. "She hasn't made any mistakes while out in public in two weeks and she's been out with everyone, you, Winn, Kara, James, even my Mom took her out when she visited last week." Maggie had let Eliza in on her plan. She was thrilled with the idea of a grandchild and as enchanted by Zee-Na as everyone else was.

"You know I came from a big family," Maggie added "and Alex has experience with fostering an alien thanks to Kara."

"That's true but Kara was a teenager when she arrived on earth. Zee-Na is barely more than a toddler" J'onn argued. Maggie worried he was laying on a bit to thick seeing Alex deflate beside her. Apparently J'onn saw it too because he immediately relented "However, we can't in good conscience keep her cooped up in the DEO indefinitely. Let's give it a try and see how it goes."

"Thank you, J'onn!" Alex beamed at him and he had to hide a smile at how relieved she looked. If only she'd know that his answer was a foregone conclusion. But Maggie was right, Alex needed to be brought around slowly or she would baulk at the idea that something that made her so very happy might also be the best thing for everyone involved.

"Let's go ask Zee-Na if she'd like to come stay with us for a while" Maggie said, doing some beaming herself. They had refrained from mentioning it to the little girl until they'd gotten the official go ahead from J'onn.

When they went back to the rooms they'd been staying in for more than a month to ask Zee-Na what she thought about leaving the DEO and staying with them in their home for a while the little girl was so excited she actually did a little jig around them, moving so fast she was nothing but a blur.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed, "Can we go right now?" Zee-Na had visited their apartment a number of times and loved the homey feel of it compared to the cold, institutional feel of the DEO headquarters. Alex and Maggie's place may not have looked much like her home on Daxam but it still had that feeling of a home. Their rooms in the DEO felt more like a hospital than anything else Zee-Na was familiar with.

"I don't see why not, we have most of the essentials already. We can get what ever else we need as we go along," Maggie said grinning at the girl who had stopped her jig but was practically vibrating with excitement.

"I agree," Alex added scooping Zee-Na up into an exuberant hug, "let's all pack up our stuff and blow this Popsicle stand!"

"What's a Popsicle stand?" Zee-Na asked cocking her head adorably at Alex.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I'm sorry, I meant to get this out by this weekend but life (in the form of 2 blizzards) got in the way. I struggled a bit with this chapter. I knew where I want to end up I just wasn't sure how to get there. I hope it came out okay!

* * *

They got home and soon had Zee Na settled in her room. Maggie made a point of referring to it as such rather than as the guest room and she noticed that Alex did the same though she didn't seem to realize it.

"What do you think of your room?" Alex asked the little girl.

"I love it!" she replied, looking around and beaming at the small but sunny room.

"I don't know," Maggie said with a doubtful expression on her face. "It's kinda generic. It doesn't really look like a little girl's room."

"Hmm, you're right," Alex replied, giving the room an appraising look. "I think we need to do a little redecorating, maybe paint the walls, get some new linens, a desk and bookshelves. What would you like to have in your room" she asked Zee Na.

"Oh, can I have a Big Bird poster, or Harry Potter?" Alex had been having Zee Na watch old episodes of the long running children's show, Sesame Street, to help her learn English and math (not that she seemed to need much help with either). Maggie had started reading her the Harry Potter series as an introduction to pop culture.

There had been a bit of confusion at first when Zee Na had asked "Can we go to where the talking bird's live? I'd really like to meet one!" or when she'd wondered "Are any other witches or wizards working at the DEO or are Supergirl and J'onn the only ones?"

Convincing the little brunette that Big Bird was actually a human actor in a bird costume turned out to be easier than convincing her that Supergirl and J'onn's ability to fly had to do with their alien physiology rather than with them being magical beings.

She was getting better at separating out fact from fiction and knew to ask Alex or Maggie if she wasn't sure. She soaked up all forms of knowledge like a sponge and with each passing day Alex worried less and less about her being exposed as an alien.

She mentioned it to Maggie one night after they had tucked Zee Na into bed. It had been almost 3 months since she had come to live with them. "You know I don't think she's slipped up at all in over a month. She's so good at pretending to be human."

They were sitting snuggled up on the couch in their living room enjoying a glass of wine. "You know, I don't think it's a matter of pretending for her," Maggie replied. "I think it's her age. Human kids are very adaptable at that age. I think it must be the same for Daxamite children. She watches other kids in the park or on TV and she just assumes that's the way she's supposed to act. I mean other than controlling her strength and speed, which seems to come naturally to her now, she doesn't seem to even think about how she acts or what she says."

"You may be right," Alex mused. "She may actually have very little memory of Daxam when she grows up. It's kind of sad in a way."

"Don't worry," Maggie gave her wife a little squeeze and kissed her temple. "I'm sure Mon El will tell her all about Daxam, when and if she wants to know,"

"I know. It's just, being from Daxam is part of who she is, part of what makes her so special. I don't want her to lose that or, worse yet think she should be ashamed of it!"

The fierce look on Alex's faced morphed to one of melancholy. "I guess she's ready," Alex said barely above a whisper.

"Ready for what?" Maggie asked genuinely confused for a moment.

"Ready for her foster family," Alex replied, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Is that really what you want?" Maggie asked softly. The moment had come and she knew she had to handle it just right or Alex would never accept that Zee Na already had a family.

The tears spilled over and poured down Alex's face. "No!" she sobbed, her voice breaking, "but that was the plan. We'd teach her how to pass for a human then she'd go to a foster family. J'onn's probably found one already."

"Actually he has," Maggie said gently wiping the tears from Alex's face with her thumbs.

"What!" Alex jumped off the couch like it had bitten her. "Why wasn't I told? Who, who are they? What do they do for a living? Where do, where do they live? I, I wanted to have a say in choosing them. I want to …" She trailed off and fell back onto the couch. "I'm not ready!" she said in a small voice.

Maggie scooped Alex up onto her lap and held her tight. Putting her lips right next to Alex's ear she said, "I think you are. I'm going to call Kara to come stay with Zee Na. You and I need to go talk to J'onn."

"It's late, lets wait until tomorrow. J'onn's probably not even at the DEO now" Alex said clearly trying to delay the moment as long as possible.

"It can't wait Alex," Maggie said, not wanting Alex's torment to last a moment longer than necessary but knowing she would need J'onn to back her up when she told Alex that Zee Na belonged with them. Alex had mostly gotten past her habit of sabotaging her own happiness out of a sense of responsibility but she still had a tendency to be leery of doing anything based primarily on what she wanted. "And you and I both know J'onn is at the DEO at all hours of the day and night".

Alex shoulders slumped in defeat, "You're right." Maggie's heart broke at seeing how easily she still bowed to what she saw as doing her duty over doing what was best for her. "I'm going to go check on Zee Na before we go. While you call Kara." Wiping the tears from her face she, she slumped out of the room.

* * *

Maggie made a quick call to J'onn so he would be prepared for their meeting. Then she called Kara and explained what was happening. All their friends and family had been in on Maggie's plan pretty much from the beginning. Knowing that Alex's primary argument would be that there jobs were not conducive to raising a child she had taken the "It takes a village" approach and asked all of them if they would be willing to help, not just during this trial period but permanently. Maggie knew that she would have to prove to Alex that they could do it. They just needed to accept a little help from their extended family, another thing that Alex had trouble doing.

Kara arrived in record time, even for her. The forlorn expression on Alex's face broke her heart. Wrapping her arms around her older sister she held her for a moment. "Everything's going to be okay Alex, you'll see."

"Thanks Kara," Alex responded dully.

Next Kara gave Maggie a quick hug, whispering in her ear, "Good luck, we'll see you soon." Maggie smiled gratefully at her, put her arm around her wife and guided her out of the apartment.

* * *

When they arrived at the DEO J'onn was waiting for them in his office. Maggie looked a question at him and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

"So ladies, what's so important that it couldn't wait until morning," he asked.

Maggie looked to Alex but Alex obviously couldn't bring herself to say the words so Maggie spoke up. "We've had Zee Na at home with us for 3 months now and she seems to be assimilating to our culture really well. Just this evening Alex pointed out that she hasn't had any major slip ups in over a month."

Maggie glanced over at Alex who looked more miserable than she had ever seen her look including after their first kiss when Maggie had foolishly tried to let her down easily.

"So you two think Zee Na is ready for a permanent placement"

"Yes," Maggie replied reaching over to take Alex's hand.

"Alex?" J'onn looked over at the woman he thought of as a daughter.

Alex squeezed Maggie's fingers so tightly she was surprised they didn't pop. Clearing her throat and squaring her shoulders, Alex looked J'onn in the eye and said stoically. " I agree."

"Well then," J'onn began but Alex interrupted him.

"Maggie says you've already chosen a family for Zee Na. I can't believe you didn't even consult me." The hurt in her voice pained him but he knew Maggie was right. They had to guide Alex to the right decision.

"Alex"

"Didn't you think I'd want to have some say?"

"Alex"

"Who are these people? What experience do they have with aliens?" Alex was becoming more and more agitated with each word.

"Agent Danvers!" J'onn's voice boomed in the tiny office stopping Alex's rant before it went any further.

She collapsed back in her chair, her righteous indignation quickly replaced by resignation.

"I am quite sure the couple I've chosen will meet with your approval."

Alex cast a doubtful look his way but held her piece.

"One is a police officer, a detective actually and the other is a scientist who works for the federal government. They both have extensive experience with aliens of every shape and size. And if I'm not mistaken the have already formed a deep bond with Zee-Na." J'onn couldn't help but smile at the confused expression on Alex's face. For an intelligent woman it seemed to be taking her an awfully long time to put the pieces together.

"But who could have formed a bound with her she's been with Maggie and I…" Alex trailed off as a comprehension dawned. Hope and panic battled for supremacy in her expression.

After a full minute of Alex opening and closing her mouth with nothing coming out Maggie rubbed her handed up and down her back, "Babe, what are you thinking?"

Alex looked into her eyes and Maggie could see the battle raging there between doing what she though was right and doing something she wanted more than she'd ever wanted anything other than Maggie herself.

"I want to Maggie, I really want to," she said her voice horse with emotion, "but we can't."

Maggie had expected this, "Why can't we Alex?"

"Our jobs for one?" Alex shot back.

"And?" Maggie prompted.

"Well, we never talked about having kids."

"You're right, lets talk about it now. I want kids, specifically I want this kid, what about you?" Maggie responded flippantly.

"I, I well. Okay fine, of course I want her, I love her, but what about our jobs. How are we supposed to take care of a young child when we're getting called out at all hours of the day and night? And our jobs are dangerous what if something happens to one or, God forbid, both of us?"

"Alex, we've been taking care of Zee Na for almost half a year now. The last three months of that at home while working our normal schedule." Maggie said reasonably.

"But everyone's been helping us. Kara, and J'onn, Winn and James, my mom, folks here at the DEO, even some of your colleagues at NCPD Science Division. We can't expect them to keep that up indefinitely." Alex expression showed that she thought she'd found an insurmountable stumbling block to their adopting Zee Na.

"Actually you can"

Alex spun around at the sound of Kara's voice. She was standing just inside the doorway surrounded by almost all the people Alex had just named, including Eliza holding the child she already considered her granddaughter. Zee Na was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the importance of this meeting to her future.

"Alex, we're all here to support you," James said.

"Zee Na is your daughter but she is our family too," Winn said. "I've really missed having a family."

"I've told you before Alex, we have an exceptional family" Eliza said smiling down at the little girl in her arms. "All these people," she indicated everyone around her, "may not look like a "normal" family but that doesn't make them any less of a family. And family sticks together."

"But what about how dangerous our jobs are, what if something happens to us?" Alex argued without any real conviction. Maggie could tell they were winning her over.

"People with dangerous jobs have families all the time," Maggie said running her fingers down Alex's cheek. "We'll do what they do, hope for the best and plan for the worst."

"Can we really do this Maggie?" Alex asked. Hope and fear still battled in her eyes but hope was winning out.

Zee Na chose that moment to stir in Eliza's arms. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she stared around at all the people in the room. Sensing the tension in the room she asked, "What's going on?" Then realizing where they were, "Why are we back here? Do we have to stay here again? I like our house better. I like my room." She was becoming agitated.

Alex jumped up and took her gently from Eliza's arms. "No, no baby, we're not moving back here." She soothed her daughter, she liked the sound of that even just in her head, rubbing circles on her back. "How would you like to go home with Maggie and I permanently?"

"You mean like a family. You would be my Mommies?" The girl asked excitedly, not at all perturbed at the thought of having two mothers rather than a mother and a father.

"Yes sweetheart, just like that" Maggie said putting her arms around both her girls.

"I'd really like that! But what would I call you? I can't call you both Mommy. How would you know which Mommy I meant." Everyone in the room chuckled at the Zee Na's very practical question.

"That's my girl" Maggie said with a grin, "always getting right to the heart of the matter. Don't you worry baby, we'll figure something out, later. It's late. J'onn I assume we can take care of any paperwork tomorrow?" J'onn just nodded in response, smiling at the picture before him.

"Your mother is right" Alex said, making Maggie, and everyone else for that matter, grin. "Let's get you home and back in bed. I don't know what your Aunty Kara was thinking taking you out this late at night." Alex smirked at her sister whose undignified response was to stick her tongue out at Alex, sending her niece into a fit of giggles.

Alex, Maggie and Zee Na turned to leave but Alex paused at the door. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know how long you've all been planning this," she raised an eyebrow at her wife who didn't even bother trying to look innocent. "But I know it was a set up and it just goes to show how well my family knows me. I don't think anything less would have convinced me that we could do this."

"That's what family is all about Alex," J'onn said squeezing her shoulder.

* * *

Later that night Maggie woke up to an empty bed, the sheets on Alex's side cool to the touch. Rolling out of bed she stretched and went in search of her wife. She found her in their daughter's room watching the young Daxamite sleep with a smile on her face and a far away expression in her eyes.

"Hey babe, couldn't sleep?" Maggie asked wrapping an arm around Alex and kissing her cheek.

"Too excited, and happy, and terrified!" Alex responded draping her arm across Maggie's shoulders.

"Welcome to parenthood, right?" Maggie chuckled.

"You knew didn't you" Alex changed tack abruptly.

"Huh?" Maggie looked at Alex.

"Way back all those months ago when I told you I had a feeling like there was something more we were supposed to be doing. You knew this was it." Alex held Maggie's eyes searching for the answer in them.

"I wouldn't say I knew. I suspected, hoped really, that it was about us having a family," she replied. "I certainly never would have guessed that a child from another planet was the answer."

"She was the missing piece, the missing piece of our family that made us whole" Alex smiled at Maggie, "Just like before you were the missing piece of me that made me whole. In both cases I didn't know what was lacking I just knew some thing missing until I found both of you."

"Lucky us!"


End file.
